'Get the basics right'

Oireachtas members from across the political spectrum joined Carrickmacross/Castleblayney Municipal District (MD) last week to hear first-hand about the deteriorating condition of the local road network and the urgent need for increased funding.

Senator Robbie Gallagher and Deputy Brendan Smith (Fianna Fáil), were joined by Deputies Matt Carthy and Cathy Bennett (Sinn Féin) and Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly, as local elected members and officials outlined the scale of the problem.

Cathaoirleach Noel Keelan said the issue is generating “daily calls” regarding the “poor condition” of roads to all reps and council staff.

The Sinn Féin councillor noted there were upwards of 200 complaints about roads, while stressing the local MD is doing good work despite financial constraints: “We need a realistic allocation for road maintenance for main county and regional roads that is in line with increasing costs.”

District Co-ordinator Damien Thornton outlined the extent of the network: “We have 700km of local and regional roads in the district, rated from 1-6 (on the Pavement Surface Condition Index). Over 20% of them are rated 1-4, meaning they are basically structurally unsound.”

Director of Services Cathal Flynn said the current level of funding is nowhere near sufficient. “We are doing less than two per cent of roads every year,” he said, warning that at the current rate it would take 50 years to address every road requiring work.

Cllr P.J. O’Hanlon (FF) estimated the district requires €4M annually to complete the necessary work, compared with the €2.2M it currently receives.

“We didn’t even get two-thirds of what was needed. I was the only councillor in here to take a stand on roads and the civic offices, Monaghan Co Council are borrowing €60M, I disagree with that because roads are more important.”

Cllr O’Hanlon reiterated his proposal that the additional 10% raised through the Local Property Tax (LPT) be directed towards roads funding.

Sinn Féin’s Colm Carthy said the MD has a particularly high proportion of roads in poor condition- more even than the other two MDs put together.

The district has a “much higher percentage of roads rated 1-4 than the rest of the county”, warning: “if there is not a significant bounce in funding, more roads will get worse”.

Cllr Carthy concluded by stating that the council had been forced to set aside additional funds because works agreed three years ago had not received adequate funding: “If we do roads right, they will last for decades.”

Cllr Paul Gibbons (SF) said the problem extends well beyond the MD: “We want to voice our frustration, we pay road tax and half the price of a tank of fuel goes to the Government in tax … give local people the roads they deserve.”

The abolition of town councils and the removal of their powers had been a mistake, Deputy Matt Carthy observed, before adding: “What we’re dealing with is a savage underfunding of roads that is now affecting families. Driving is not a luxury, it is an absolute necessity for bringing children to school, getting to work, accessing services and playing an active role in the community. People are being fleeced by insurance, road tax and fuel … Every opportunity we get we will raise it.”

Fine Gael councillor Aidan Campbell, who joined the meeting online, said local authorities are being asked to deliver too much with too few resources. “Our ask is for further funding, if we don’t do something things will get worse and worse,” he commented.

Observing that all elected members were lobbying hard on the issue, Fine Gael’s Peter Conlon said the attendance of Oireachtas members demonstrated the issue’s importance.

“Some of the roads in south Monaghan aren’t passable,” he said. “Day and night, we are working on short-term remedies. It boils down to this - we don’t have enough money,” he continued, arguing that the 8% increase in funding received this year did not even cover inflation.

Senator Robbie Gallagher said there was “a chronic and urgent need” to address the road network in the MD.

He conceded that current capital funding is “totally inadequate” and pledged to “voice the need for more”.

His Fianna Fáil colleague, Deputy Brendan Smith, asked what percentage of Monaghan’s road network was made up of non-national roads. Cathal Flynn told him the figure was “in the late 80s”.

Deputy Smith said that most small enterprises were located along regional and local roads. “People are entitled to a proper standard of road,” he said, adding that difficult decisions had to be made when allocating funding. Using greenways as an example, he remarked: “To the lay person, it seems an extravagance.”

Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly said similar issues are being experienced in Cavan. “I think there is an argument that this is an inland county with no port or train. Things like greenways aren’t absolutely essential, I think we need to get the basics right first.”

Sinn Féin Deputy Cathy Bennett said councils had previously had the resources to tackle roads requiring attention but were now struggling to carry out even basic repairs: “The LPT drives me berserk! The Government need to fix roads they have already received taxpayers’ money to fix,” she said.

The message from the meeting for national politicians to take back to Leinster House was loud and clear: The roads are deteriorating faster than available funding can address them, and a substantial increase in road funding is needed.